Compelling Books for Tweens Exploring Black History

Civil rights history is American history, as these books show, with heroes like Frederick Douglas and Martin Luther King Jr. blazing a trail to freedom and equal protection under the law for all. Courageous stories of African American men, women, and kids who stood up for justice and overcame prejudice to excel in their fields will inspire kids and help them understand the legacy of slavery and segregation. For more exciting historical reads, check out our Civil Rights Books and Award-Winning African American Books lists.

Filter by:
Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'round: My Story of the Making of Martin Luther King Day Poster Image
BOOK

Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'round: My Story of the Making of Martin Luther King Day

age 9+

Lyrical memoir in verse traces fight for MLK Day.

By: Kathlyn J. Kirkwood (2022)
See full review
Freewater Poster Image
BOOK

Freewater

age 9+

Siblings escape slavery, find a home in awe-inspiring tale.

By: Amina Luqman-Dawson (2022)
See full review
Martin Rising: Requiem for a King Poster Image
BOOK

Martin Rising: Requiem for a King

age 9+

Powerful poems examine the final months of MLK's life.

By: Andrea Davis Pinkney (2018)
See full review
Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition Poster Image
BOOK

Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition

age 9+

Riveting bio is a great resource for teaching about slavery.

By: Erica Armstrong Dunbar , Kathleen Van Cleve (2019)
See full review
This Is Your Time Poster Image
BOOK

This Is Your Time

age 9+

Powerful true tale of girl who desegregated school in 1960.

By: Ruby Bridges (2020)
See full review
African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History Poster Image
BOOK

African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History

age 10+

Illuminating profiles, vivid images reveal nuanced history.

By: Tracey Baptiste (2021)
See full review
Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers Poster Image
BOOK

Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers

age 10+

Candid and inspiring memoir from a former First Lady.

By: Michelle Obama (2021)
See full review
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court Poster Image
BOOK

Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court

age 10+

Thoughtful memoir by basketball star and civil rights icon.

By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Raymond Obstfeld (2017)
See full review
Becoming Muhammad Ali Poster Image
BOOK

Becoming Muhammad Ali

age 10+

Lyrical novel traces childhood, evolution of sports legend.

By: Kwame Alexander , James Patterson (2020)
See full review
Call Him Jack book cover
BOOK

Call Him Jack: The Story of Jackie Robinson, Black Freedom Fighter

age 10+

Inspiring biography of the sports and civil rights pioneer.

By: Yohuru Williams , Michael G. Long (2022)
See full review
Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, a Monumental American Man Poster Image
BOOK

Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, a Monumental American Man

age 10+

Compelling, fact-filled bio of the abolitionist icon.

By: Tonya Bolden (2018)
See full review
The Fierce 44: Black Americans Who Shook Up the World Poster Image
BOOK

The Fierce 44: Black Americans Who Shook Up the World

age 10+

Inspiring profiles of black Americans in history and today.

By: The Staff of the Undefeated (2019)
See full review
The Legacy of Jim Crow book cover
BOOK

The Legacy of Jim Crow

age 10+

Illuminating intro to historical roots of U.S. racism.

By: Clarence A. Haynes (2022)
See full review
Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance Poster Image
BOOK

Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance

age 10+

Powerful poems celebrate a generation of Black women poets.

By: Nikki Grimes (2021)
See full review
Lifting As We Climb: Black Women's Battle for the Ballot Box Poster Image
BOOK

Lifting As We Climb: Black Women's Battle for the Ballot Box

age 10+

Powerful history of Black women fighting for the vote.

By: Evette Dionne (2020)
See full review
Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematican Katherine Johnson Poster Image
BOOK

Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematican Katherine Johnson

age 10+

Must-read true story of trailblazing NASA mathematician.

By: Katherine Johnson (2019)
See full review
Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids book cover
BOOK

Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids: Inspiring People and Events That Every Kid Should Know

age 10+

Compelling stories celebrate Black resistance, liberation.

By: Rann Miller (2023)
See full review
Streetcar to Justice: How Elizabeth Jennings Won the Right to Ride in New York Poster Image
BOOK

Streetcar to Justice: How Elizabeth Jennings Won the Right to Ride in New York

age 10+

Inspiring story of resisting segregation in 1850s New York.

By: Amy Hill Hearth (2018)
See full review
This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality Poster Image
BOOK

This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality

age 10+

Compelling, inspiring memoir of integrating Southern school.

By: Jo Ann Allen Boyce , Debbie Levy (2019)
See full review
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the Selma Voting Rights March Poster Image
BOOK

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the Selma Voting Rights March

age 10+

Vivid recollections of a teen girl in the Selma march.

By: Lynda Blackmon Lowery , Elspeth Leacock , Susan Buckley (2015)
See full review